Wildly Creative: Trans People Are Awful Review | Ellen Leslie
Image credit: Ella Carmen Dale
★★★★★
Every so often, a Fringe show comes around that’s so wacky it’s completely brilliant. Trans People Are Awful is one of these shows.
Written and performed by Ros Watt, Trans People Are Awful follows Boy, a young trans man with a sinister plan: he is going to complete the ultimate transition by murdering cis men and stealing their body parts. He knows the plan will kill him, but he is prepared, setting up a video camera to film an explanation video so that people know his reasons for doing so.
Think CJ Skuse’s Sweetpea series meets Frankenstein: this show is not for the faint hearted. Body parts float in jars of liquid, with Boy more than happy to divulge the stories behind the men he murdered. Grizzly soundbites are played of the men begging for mercy while Boy saws through their bones. These gruesome scenes are intersected with humorous moments, which prevent the show from becoming too horrific, but those with sensitive stomachs might need to look away when he decides one will make a good snack.
Watt is a talented performer, performing the show with a menacing glint in his eye. By the time we meet Boy, his sense of reality and logic is so warped it’s almost unrecognisable, and as he continues to descend into madness, his actions become even more shocking. However, there is something almost endearing about him, and we find ourselves simultaneously hoping that he escapes his fate, while also wishing that he is brought to justice. Combined with his dry sense of humour, he is far from a dislikeable character.
Boy’s neurodiversity is a subtle theme throughout the play, adding another layer to the already complex character. He states it very bluntly, explaining that hookups are a very autism-friendly experience due to the lack of small talk and both parties being clear about the intention of their meeting. He repeatedly rants about having a favourite spoon, which many autistic people have due to sensory preferences, but this is also cleverly used as a metaphor for gender.
Watt skilfully captures the reality of life for trans people, showing the isolation and stigma they can face. A particular highlight is the attention that he draws to the realities of dysphoria. Even body parts that don’t necessarily spring to mind cause him dysphoria; he worries his ears have heard too many secret chats in the girl’s bathroom for him to ever be accepted as a man, while his forearms have been used to swatch too many makeup samples. His self esteem is on the floor and he truly believes he is unlovable. On the other hand, Watt also highlights that this is not the case for many trans people, as Boy realises in a heartbreaking moment towards the end that he could have gone to university, made friends, and had the relationship he desperately craves.
Wildly creative, witty and political, Trans People Are Awful is a triumph. Watt pulls us into Boy’s world, and by the end of the show, his twisted logic begins to make sense. It’s an extremely unique show you must see for yourself: just reading about it doesn’t do it justice.
Trans People Are Awful will be performed at Bunker One at Pleasance Courtyard until 31 August (not 24) as part of Edinburgh Fringe.
